A Rainy Day in August
by electricdragons
Summary: In the face of death, Shino reflects on the things he has to live for. Companion to The Rift, another Naruto story.


**A Rainy Day in August**

Companion to The Rift, another Naruto story

Death came quickly. One minute I was facing down several rogue ninja side by side with my teammates, and the next a stray kunai had embedded itself in my chest. There was no pomp and circumstance, no fanfare. I didn't die surrounded by children or grandchildren. I was alive, and then I wasn't. Simple.

But it isn't quite that simple.

Ten years ago I was still in the academy, still just a kid. I always sat near the back of the class. I preferred to see and not be seen. Not everyone in the class shared my tastes, however. Naruto was always loudest, constantly chatting and complaining and talking at the teacher. He was good friends with Kiba, too. And Kiba, being from a family of boisterous and affectionate dog lovers, was also quite loud. I never understood the need to talk constantly. A few words can go a long way, and extra chatter is simply unnecessary and dilutes the point. Needless to say, I was not happy to be paired with Kiba on Team 8. Hinata was fine. She was generally a quiet, polite girl with a tendency to stutter.

Kiba and I did not instantly get along. He would constantly poke and prod at me, trying to goad me into sparring or arguing. He was trying to see if I would break. I retaliated with silence. I did not address him unless it was unavoidable. Poor Hinata, stuck between the two of us, must have been miserable. Finally, Kurenai stepped in.

She told us we either had to learn to get along or quit the team. Since both of us took our ninja training very seriously, we relented and formed a tense truce.

It would be several more years before I would call Kiba a close friend. It took hours of sparring, dozens of missions, and several near-death experiences for me to trust him. And an Aburame's trust is not easily gained.

Kiba took less time to warm up to me. He's a naturally warm and kind-hearted guy, and he learned to understand that my quiet nature was not due to any pretentiousness or condescension. I simply grew up in a quiet household, and it took one dinner with my parents for him to realize that.

I had once been convinced to attend an Inuzuka meal. The Inuzuka clan are known for being brash, touchy-feely, in-your-face, and gregarious. I can confirm that all are true. I must've been crushed in at least twenty hugs. I must've been asked thousands of questions about my life and my interactions with Kiba. I was overwhelmed, to say the least. But afterwards, I understood Kiba a little bit better. He is an open book, just as his family is. He sees no reason to hide secrets from the people he loves. His loudness and directness is his way of showing he cares and is invested in my life. After that, I started warming up to Kiba even more.

Team 8 grew a tangible camaraderie. Kiba and I both felt a protective instinct towards Hinata, who was trying her best to keep up and improve, despite the negative impacts it often had on her health. I'm not sure how anyone who has ever met the sweet, gentle Hinata can feel anything but parental around her.

Kiba and I bonded over much more than just that, though. His connection to Akamaru was not unlike the connection I have to the kikaichu. They live in symbiosis, feeding off each others' strengths, just like me and my insects. Literally, since my kikaichu eat my chakra.

Opening up to someone is terrifying, to say the least. My family chooses not to open up about anything. If there's a problem, it goes unmentioned and is dealt with individually. But Kiba wouldn't settle for that. Kiba wanted me to talk about my problems. He wanted to help me solve them, every step of the way. At first it was intrusive, and I resisted him. But the more he pushed, and the more I relented, the more I found that I wanted him to help. I welcomed his advice. I liked him being there for me.

And I found, more and more, that I enjoyed hearing about Kiba's life. I went out of my way to ask him how he was. It was strange, how even though I'd never felt the need to pry into anyone else's life, I felt the need to pry into his.

We were there for everything, all the important moments. I knew Kiba better than I knew Hinata, my other teammate, and more than I knew my own family. And as odd as that sounds, it's true.

An Aburame is destined to a reserved, arranged marriage. Often loveless, these matches are created from convenience mostly. I had grown up expecting to never experience romantic love. I held a great deal of familial love for my teammates, of course, but that was as far as fate determined those feelings should go. I watched as my friends "dated" and "crushed." I watched Hinata fawn over Naruto day after day. But I didn't understand.

Kiba had dated a few girls. He would complain to me after about how the girls were too boring, or too promiscuous, or too girly. He never seemed to settle on one person, and deep inside, I was glad. Seeing some girl on Kiba's arm made me feel uncomfortable. Not mad, or upset, just uneasy. Like there was something off about the image.

Whenever these feelings would hit me, I would simply pour my focus into training or studying and forget all about it. It was nonsense not deserving of my attention.

It wasn't until much later that I found my hands began to sweat whenever I was around Kiba. My blood would pump loudly in my veins. My stomach would feel like it was in knots. I scoured various books, attempting to ascertain whether it was some kind of disease. I determined it was not a heart condition, but I had no other explanation.

Whenever I would have a moment to myself, I would get distracted, worrying that perhaps I was dying. But I was simply catastrophizing, as I happen to do from time to time.

I was observing Hinata and Kiba sparring one day, when things began to be clear. As the two were practicing various strangle holds, Naruto came onto the field. Hinata immediately lost focus and fell, gracelessly, onto the dusty ground. Naruto panicked and went to help her up, apologizing profusely for startling her.

"Hinata, your hands are all sweaty, do you have a fever?" Naruto asked, concern evident in his voice. I paused in the middle of the book I was reading, suddenly alert to what was happening. "Hinata, you're flushed! And your pulse is racing! We should see a doctor!"

Naruto then proceeded to try and drag a furiously blushing Hinata towards the medical facility.

"God, how dense can he get," Kiba sighed, slumping down next to me. Akamaru found some shade a little further over to lie in. "She's so in love with him, and he's completely blind to it. Geez."

My heart was racing. My hands were sweating. I felt my body warming up because Kiba was near. And suddenly it clicked in my head.

I like Kiba.

"Feel like pulling your nose out of that book and sparring? I still need help with my footwork," Kiba grinned, and my mouth went dry.

"Sure," I croaked, feeling like I'd just been crushed by an anvil. My world had gotten very complicated very quickly.

I spent the next week avoiding Kiba as much as possible and coming to terms with my current emotional state. So I liked Kiba. That much was obvious. It didn't seem so strange, one boy liking another. No stranger than getting married only for convenience. At least this contained actual emotion. I agonized over it, trying to figure out what to do next. Confess? Bury the emotions down? Normally, I would've talked to Kiba about problems like this. But that seemed out of the question now.

I had plans to simply ignore Kiba forever, but, being nosy and requiring constant attention, Kiba sought me out himself.

"Shino!" he yelled, pounding on my bedroom door. My parents must have let him, since we often study here. "Come on Shino, stop hiding in your room! Come out and have fun!"

I tiredly opened the door, feeling suddenly emotionally drained. Kiba was grinning at me. "What gives, dude, I haven't seen you in days!"

"Do you have to be so loud in the house?" I remarked quietly. Kiba glared at me, but lowered his voice. He knew my family wasn't as loud as he himself was.

"Seriously, we haven't hung out in forever. I miss you."

If only Kiba knew how much his words affected me. I knew he wears his heart on his sleeve. I knew he feels emotions more intensely. I knew he's very affectionate even to acquaintances. But that didn't stop the swell of happiness his missing me caused.

I allowed him to drag me out of my room. I allowed him to drag me out of my house. I allowed him to drag me to meet up with Naruto and Shikamaru at Ichiraku's. He could've dragged me anywhere, and I probably would have let him.

Things maintained their normalcy for a while. I kept my heart close to my chest, and Kiba remained blissfully unaware.

Another year passed. Hinata continued to improve monumentally, in both skill and confidence. Kiba and Akamaru became even more in sync with their attacks. Asuma died, and Kurenai had his child. Our lives were progressing, more and more.

Kiba and I continued to maintain our close friendship. If anything, it only grew stronger. He encouraged me to go out with friends more. He was definitely more physically affectionate. He certainly wasn't stingy in the hug department. He helped me train as much as possible, and all the while my feelings only grew.

I watched as the people around me started to pair up. Shikamaru and Temari would get together soon, which was obvious to anyone with eyes. Naruto started spending more time with Hinata (which was looking hopeful since she stopped passing out every time he was around). Ino was constantly seen with some man draped over her arm, and more often than not it was Sai.

Throughout the whole process, however, Kiba remained blatantly single. He wasn't dating any of the plentiful girls who loved his outgoing nature. He wasn't trying to impress the village girls with his muscles and reflexes. I even saw him turn down a date with a particularly alluring blonde (or I figured she was alluring; her dress was fairly tight and other men seemed to be staring).

I did not allow myself to hope, but I at least appreciated that I didn't have to come to terms with Kiba seeing anyone else quite yet. But I knew that day would come.

Everything changed, however, that one day in August, when the ground was soaked with rain and Kiba finally took a stand for what he felt.

So, you see, it wasn't simple for me to die. I had so much to live for.

I was awoken not by the general sounds of the hospital; the rhythmic beeping, the nurses yelling, the newborns crying. I was awoken by the gentle splash of something wet against my hand. And another. And another.

 _Crying_ , I thought. _Someone is crying on me._

My nose was assaulted by the stench of wet dog, and I had no doubt who it was.

I pushed myself up as far as I could and snapped my eyes open, seeking out the figure hunched over my bedside. He jolted, flailing slightly, before his eyes set on mine.

"Shino!" Kiba cried, a toothy smile lighting up his face. I was nearly knocked back down as Kiba tackled me in a hug, holding me tight and blubbering into my neck.

"They said that you almost died, you almost lost too much blood and they had to give you more, and you were so pale- I mean, paler than usual- and you looked like you were dead and there was a kunai in your chest and it was an inch away from your heart and I don't know what I would've done had you died and-"

"Kiba," I interrupted, placing a hand on his shoulder. He stopped rambling, but he did start shaking and held me closer. "I'm alright, everything is alright," I whispered in his ear.

He didn't stop crying for another couple of minutes. When he finally pulled back, his eyes were red and puffy and his nose was dripping snot. I grabbed a tissue from the box next to my bed and handed it to him. He blew his nose loudly and then took a few shuddering breaths.

"Sorry," he said, leaning back in his chair.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," I replied, gently sliding my hand into his.

I had been so sure I was dead. My life had flashed before my eyes, I had passed into unconsciousness, and I had been hit in the chest with a Kunai. I was forever thankful I hadn't died, as I looked Kiba up and down and remembered the moments we had spent together.

"Is everyone else alright?" I asked.

"Hinata is fine, Naruto is fine. Shikamaru got a nasty hit to his side trying to keep the other ninja off you, but he'll be fine since Temari has barely left him all week. You were hurt the worst," Kiba explains. His hold on my hand tightened as he looked at the bandages lining my chest.

"I'm okay," I promised him. He gave me a watery grin, and pulled me into another hug.

 _No matter what,_ I promised myself, _I will always be there for him._

On that particular rainy day in August, something miraculous happened. Shino and Kiba had just finished sparring in the morning when thunderclouds rolled in and started pouring. They sought shelter in the trees, but that did little to help, and soon they were soaked to the bone.

Kiba sidled up to Shino, pressing his side up against Shino's for warmth. Shino stiffened and shifted slightly. Kiba sighed.

"Sorry, I'm just cold," he said.

"It's fine," Shino replied.

After a minute of silence, Kiba asked, "Do you not like being near me that much?"

In reality, Shino was overjoyed at Kiba's closeness. He just felt that little niggling of hope start up in his chest and he didn't want to stoke that fire. It would do no good.

"I said it's fine," Shino answered.

Kiba growled. "Look, I don't know how much more _obvious_ I could be, but you're my best friend and I fucking love you and if you don't like that you should leave now."

 _Love?_ Shino froze in place. "Shit," Kiba cursed.

Did Kiba just…?

And then Shino thought back to all the times they had been at friends' parties and Kiba had slung his arm over Shino's shoulder and spent the night by his side. Shino thought back to all the times he and Kiba had stared up at the stars and talked about their dreams. Shino remembered Kiba tackling him with hugs when anything good happened, and seeking comfort by his side when bad things happened. And Shino wondered why the hell he didn't connect the dots.

Shino cautiously reached over and took Kiba's hand. Kiba's palms were sweaty. Shino could feel Kiba's pulse racing in his veins. Shino looked at Kiba and saw on his face all the pent up love and frustration he himself had been hiding and then wondered how on earth a relatively observant guy like himself could be so _blind_.

And then Kiba leaned in, and that was all Shino could think about.


End file.
